Current Affairs 5th August 2019
Important Current Affairs
Current Affairs 5th August 2019
Biometric Token System
The Western and Central Railways have introduced a new system by which passengers traveling in the general coach, where seats are not reserved, are given a token roughly three hours before the train’s departure. These tokens are given on a first-come, first-served basis, and carry a serial number on them, which governs the order in which passengers will board the train. The use of biometrics (fingerprint) rules out touts and ensures only bonafide travelers receive a token. While some creases need to be ironed out, the initial evidence suggests that the use of BTS has brought a semblance of order to the otherwise unruly process of boarding an unreserved coach. In the past, there have been several episodes when the commotion around boarding has led to passengers getting hurt.
World Bank data survey says India stands the seventh position in the global GDP rankings
According to World Bank data survey, India slipped to the 7th position in the global GDP rankings in 2018. It stands marginally behind UK and France. Economists suggested that the reason for the fall in GDP is due to currency fluctuations and a slowdown in economic growth.
GDP:
Gross domestic product (GDP) is the monetary measure on the market value of goods and services in a specific time period annually.
Previous year report:
India-UK, France:
In 2017, India stood on the 6th position with a GDP rate of $2.597 trillion. India was just ahead of France which has $2.582 trillion. As per earlier data, India was on the 6th position in 2017, ahead of just France.
The UK’ has an economic growth of 6.81% against a contraction of 0.75% in this period. The French economy expanded by 7.33% against 4.85%.
India-Japan:
The Survey also said that the Indian economy will overtake Japan by 2025 and will become third largest in 2025 as India planned to increase its economic size to $5 trillion by 2024-25. Japan’s economic size was $4.97 trillion in 2018 which is higher than India’s by $2.24 trillion.
Canada to create a protected marine area in the Arctic region
Canada government plans to create a protected marine area in the country's Arctic region. The move is after a severe climate change that took effect three times faster than the global average weather.
Multiple species in the coast of Baffin Island, in Canada's northeastern Arctic archipelago, are threatened by the Glacial melting and maritime traffic.
Aim:
The move aims to protect the marine area in arctic regions and protect the populations of belugas, narwhals, walruses, seals, polar bears and thousands of other species who depend on year-round sea ice to survive.
These species are now migrating, or in some cases, disappearing, In order to save various species, the areas are to be planned in well protecting manner. The establishment of the protected marine area would help the Canadian government to achieve its goal to protect 10% of marine and coastal regions by 2020.
Steps taken by Canada govt:
Recently, the Canada government had invested in modernizing the Coast Guard. It launched two Arctic patrol vessels. It aimed to increase protection for national interests in the region.
World Breastfeeding Week 2019
World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated from August 1 to 7
Theme: Empower Parents. Enable Breastfeeding
Main aim: To encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies across the globe.
About 60% of the world’s total infants are missing out of the recommended six months of exclusive breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding Week - Importance
The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that newborn baby the right to good nutrition according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. As per the data collected by the United Nations Globally in 2016 around 41 million children are obese in the world while 155 million children. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer around type 2 diabetes and heart diseases.
It prevents infections like early-stage diarrhea and acute respiratory infections. Increased breastfeeding could avert 20,000 maternal deaths each year due to breast cancer.
Breastfeeding week - India
Food and Nutrition Board under the Ministry of Women and Child Development is organizing a number of activities in the country. Quiz competition is conducted across 30 States and Union Territories. The various concerned departments are also organizing exhibitions on nutrition, displaying low-cost nutritious diets for infants and young children.
Gujarat government launched Vhali Dikri Yojna
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani launched the ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’ from his hometown Rajkot, Gujarat. The scheme is introduced for the welfare of the girl child. The meaning of this scheme isDear Daughter Scheme. The main details about this scheme are stated before. Vahali Dikri Yojana is launched to improve the sex ratio of girl child in the State. The successful implementation of this scheme State government allocated a budget of Rs 133 Crore. According to the scheme State Government will pay Rs. 4,000 to every girl child at the time of admission to Standard 4th, Rs. 6,000. There will be a time of taking admission to Standard IX, Rs. 1-lakh at the time of taking admission for higher education at the age of 18 at the time of marriage. It is a statewide cash incentive scheme for every girl child born in Gujarat.
State Bank of India and Shanghai becomes first Indian bank to link up with CNAPS
State Bank of India's Shanghai branch linked to China's National Advanced Payment System (CNAPS). It is the first Indian Bank to operationalize it. The CNAPS, launched in 2008 by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) provides real-time settlement services for all payments cleared in China. The CNAPS system is complemented by its international counterpart, the CIPS (China International Payments System or Cross-Border Interbank Payment System) launched in 2015
Main Aim: To boosting international use of the Chinese currency, yuan. The participants from multiple countries across the globe participated.
LS passed Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Amendment Bill
Lok Sabha, the lower house, cleared the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill, 2019. The amendment will remove the position of Congress president as a permanent member of a trust that runs the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial. The Bill was passed with 214 in favor and 30 against it.
After the removal of the Congress chief as a member, the leader of the single largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha will be added as a member of the trust.
The amendment bill empowers the central government to terminate the term of a nominated trustee even before the expiry of the tenure without assigning any reason.
Jallianwala Bagh Memorial:
Jallianwala Bagh memorial was established in 1951. The memorial was established to mark the massacre of unarmed people on April 13, 1919, at the public garden in Amritsar. The massacre was ordered by the British Indian Army under the command of Col Reginald Dyer.